Love The Way You Lie, or, Deacon is more Deacon than Necessary
by bookwtchery
Summary: Nora is on patrol with Deacon when they are attacked. In short order they find themselves trapped in Danse's recon bunker, with Deacon possibly dying and being even more of a pain in the ass than she thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

"Son of a BITCH!"

Nora looked behind her to see that Deacon had been knocked several feet sideways, and he was now on his back in a life or death struggle with a raider. The woman who attacked out of seemingly nowhere was straddling him and she actually managed to land a hell of a punch with a power fist to his sternum before Nora could raise her weapon and aim. Ouch, yeah, the boy was going to need a stimpak. Or three.

She pulled the trigger, and still found herself amazed that Righteous Authority had the results it did. In an instant, the attacking raider dissolved in a pile of red hot steaming ash.

"That never gets old." she murmured to herself as she ran to Deacon to offer him a hand up.

"You didn't tell me you had an old girlfriend in this area," she quipped as she squatted down next to him.

He had managed to get himself into a sitting position before he doubled over into a coughing fit. He grabbed her leg for support, a a move so sudden she quickly sat down before she fell on him. She sat facing him and allowed him to rest his head on her lap as he regained composure.

"D?" she prompted, when the coughing had settled down. He suddenly realized he was leaning on her, and she felt tension take him over again. He pushed himself back and looked at her, but he still seemed dazed. This worried her...he never took this long to recover. "D, come on, hon. We need to get moving. If she was a scout, her group couldn't have been too far behind. We need to get out of sight."

When he still didn't give a response, she grabbed a stimpak and was about to stab him with it when he grabbed her hand.

"Don't need it…" he said raspily.

"Took you long enough."

"Awww, you were worried."

"Yeah. That I was going to have to explain to Des that I let one slip past me and got one of her agents killed. She just about had you for lunch, hotshot." She stood and grinned down at him as she offered him a hand up. He blatantly ignored it and got up himself.

"More like I inhaled about half of what's left of her. What the hell kind of mods did you put on that thing?"

Nora laughed out loud.

"You forget my husband was military. This type of weapon may not have existed 200 years ago, but the technology was there. And he taught me how to defend myself."

"That...doesn't answer my question, but OK."

"Come on, D. Let's go. I'm surprised we haven't been attacked yet. If she was a scout, she was WAY ahead of her gang."

She looked around, and realized the area was familiar to her. They were just a few miles from the bunker where Danse had exiled himself. It would be quite a trek with an injured person, but Deacon did seem to be holding up well enough for them to get to safety before she checked him over. Danse would help them.

"This way," she said, pointing northwest.

"After you, boss."


	2. Chapter 2

Deacon was still somewhat in shock as he started following Nora. He still couldn't believe he had let the raider slip up on him like that. Even with her in stealth, he should still have been aware that something wasn't right. He and Nora both had PTSD-levels of hypervigilance, after all, and what good was PTSD without that particular superpower?

He was sure he had a couple of cracked, if not outright broken, ribs, and damned if she hadn't knocked the breath out of him. Then of course, he got a lung full of human ash thanks to that monster of a death machine that Nora lugged around with her. Not that he wasn't grateful...that death machine had saved his life. Again. Still, accidentally inhaling the ashes of his enemies wasn't exactly one of his favorite activities. That one might actually be the one to make him quit smoking.

He was starting to have a little trouble keeping up with Nora; she hadn't seemed to notice yet, but he was already breaking out into a cold sweat and getting out of breath far too easily. She wouldn't leave him voluntarily, so he was already planning for the eventuality that he might have to bug out first chance he got. The Railroad could get along without him; he KNEW the Commonwealth would do just fine. But without her? No. In just the short time he had known her, she had done so much good for so many people. She never hesitated to jump in to help people, whether they be human or synth. And that was the thing. She considered them all PEOPLE. She didn't differentiate. He hated for her that she wound up being a big ol' science experiment 200 years ago. But he was glad for them. She gave him hope, and hope was something he thought he'd thrown out the window long ago.

"You OK?"

"Say what, boss?"

"Are you OK?"

When she spoke again, he realized she was pushing a bottle of purified water into his hand. They had stopped underneath a rock outcropping to rest.

"I'm OK."

The look she gave him told him she didn't believe him, but she wasn't going to challenge him on it just yet.

"So where...where exactly are we going?"

"There's a bunker where we'll be safe until we can regroup. Paladin Danse is..."

"You seriously think a Brotherhood soldier is going to grant me safe haven?"

"FORMER Brotherhood." she emphasized. "He's...it's a long story. But yes. He will."

"If you say so."

"I do." She took another drink from her own water, then looked at him pointedly. "Do you feel up to heading on?"

Damn it. She had noticed.

"I'll make it." he insisted.

"If you say so."

"I do."

He managed a grin, and she smirked as she realized he'd used her own words against her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Almost there," Nora said, although she wasn't sure if it was to encourage herself or Deacon.

Deacon said nothing. He'd been quiet since he'd been attacked, and had been utterly silent for the last mile or so. Being on patrol with him while he wasn't running his mouth was surreal, and she wasn't sure she liked it. He was definitely more injured than he was letting on. She suspected that he had refused the stimpak because he was afraid she would need it, but she had 30 of the damned things on her. When they left North Church, she didn't know how long they'd be gone, so she had stocked up on them. She might have to ninja it into him; he'd be pissed, but he'd live.

And he might not live otherwise, she thought grimly. Sure he was up walking around. But that punch he took to the sternum worried her. He was getting out of breath far too easily. She reminded herself that they were almost there. Almost...

A bullet whizzing by her head interrupted her thoughts.

"FUCK."

Deacon pulled her off the path and behind one of the many large dead trees in the area.

"I don't want to make you nervous, but..."

"Yeah, yeah. I suspect you're right. We're not alone." she said. "You hit?"

Deacon shook his head. "You?"

"Did you think you'd get away?" a male voice shouted. "You were too god-damned easy to track."

"Track this!" Deacon shouted, and fired of a couple of rounds from his .44 snubnose before ducking back behind the tree with her.

They heard a scream, so at least one of those bullets hit...well, something living.

"You're going to pay for that, pretty boy!" came the same voice. "That's two of my crew in one day."

"Awww, he thinks I'm pretty. I can't take credit for both, but thank you for thinking so highly of me." Deacon yelled back.

There was silence for a moment, and Nora was wondering how many of them there were.

"Four or five, at least," he said, somehow reading her thoughts. Before she could reply, a rock landed near... no, no, that was a frag grenade.

"Move it!" she shouted, and they ran again, making it just behind a large clump of rocks before a rain of frag debris hit their cover, followed closely by an insane number of bullets.

"Damn it, they've got a minigun!" Nora exclaimed under her breath.

"How much further to this bunker?"

"Not much further."

"Great." Deacon murmured, then looked at her, surprised, as she started looking through her backpack. "Don't tell me you've got something better than your portable death ray in there."

"Well, no. But..."

"A flare gun? You think there are Minutemen around here?"

"Not Minutemen." she said, pulling out a flare. She and Danse had designed a system, and she had altered a few flares for the purpose. "Do you think you can run?"

"Something tells me we're about to find out."

She nodded.

"Hopefully Danse is out in the open where he can see this. Once I fire this, we need to take off. The flare will tell him that we're coming...and we're coming in hot. He'll get the security system ready."

"Sounds like suicide. But, so is staying here. And what the hell. The life expectancy of a Railraod agent is...well, it's not long."

"Well, it's going to extend past today. So get ready. Once this fires, start running. Half a mile in that direction. I'll be right behind you."

He looked at her skeptically. "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright, Fixer. Let's see if you can fix this."


	4. Chapter 4

Nora fired the flare into the air, and Deacon simultaneously tossed a flash-bang in the direction of the attacking raiders. Then, they started running.

"Just a little further." she urged when Deacon started slowing down. "Keep going."

He did keep going, but he was struggling. The flash-bang should have been enough to confuse the raiders for a while, but they would catch up soon. Finally he stopped.

"I can't..." he said.

"Yes you can." she urged, but pulled him off the path near another outcropping of rocks. "It literally is just around that bend over the hill. The path narrows a little, then widens out and we're in front of the bunker."

"Might as well be in China." he said, sitting down. "You go. I'll hold them off."

"No. Absolutely not."

"So we're BOTH going to die? What kind of sense does that make? Get out of here. Too many people are depending on you."

"Are you fucking KIDDING me right now?"

He looked up at her with an incredulous expression, made all the more infuriating by the fact that she couldn't see his eyes. Those fucking patrolman shades.

"Do I look like I'm kidding you? Besides, what are you going to do, carry me?"

"No, but I will."

Nora turned around suddenly, prepared to strike with the blade that psychopath Pickman had given her, but pulled back when she saw Paladin Danse.

She never thought she would be so happy to see his arrogant synth ass, but right now, she was so relieved she could cry.

"Thank GOD."

"What's the problem?"

"He got sucker punched by a power fist earlier. Got the breath knocked out of him. Insists his stubborn ass is OK but he's getting worse."

"Well, let's not discuss it out here." He turned to Deacon. "Are you going to walk, or am I carrying you? Your choice."

Deacon sighed and dropped his head in defeat.

"OK. If you're going to gang up on me. I don't want the karma of getting all three of us killed."

"Nobody is getting killed today," Nora said, offering him a hand up. This time, he accepted her help.

"At least not one of us," Danse offered as he suddenly started spraying bullets in the direction of the approaching raiders who had found them again. While Danse gave them cover, they took off running in the direction of the bunker.

"Come on, Danse!" she yelled as they reached the crest of the hill. He gave one more good spray of bullets then came after them.


	5. Chapter 5

Nora breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it inside the bunker and Danse closed and secured the door behind them.

"Everyone OK?" Danse asked as he turned around. "Are you two OK?"

"Relatively speaking," Nora said. "Although we need to give Deacon the once-over here."

Danse looked at him quizzically.

"You look familiar. Ah, now I remember. You're Railroad."

"And you're Brotherhood. Sorry you risked your life for the likes of me."

"Well, I did it for her. Nora is the only reason the Brotherhood has let me live."

Deacon scrunched up his face. "Yeah, when I pointed out that you wouldn't exactly be thrilled to see me, she said you were former."

Danse looked at Nora. "You mean he doesn't know?"

Nora shrugged. "Not my business to tell, Danse."

Danse looked stunned for a moment.

"Dude, if you think she'd break your confidence, you don't know her at all."

"I like to think I know her very well. I'm just...well, I haven't adjusted to it myself yet." He turned back to Nora. "Thank you, my friend. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you in my life, but I'm glad I did it. Now, let's see what we can do to make your friend here comfortable."

Danse led them to one of the inner rooms that he had set up as a kind of bedroom. There were two beds, as the station had been set up to be run by two people. Deacon's breathing was getting very shallow and he was coughing more, probably worsened by the sprint they just took, so Nora ordered him to at least sit down while they checked him out.

Danse disappeared into one of the back rooms and reappeared with a blanket and a large medical kit.

"Pretty crude, but it'll have to do until we can get you to a better facility." Danse explained. "I'm going back up front to keep an eye on things. Yell if you need help."

He disappeared without waiting for a reply from either of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Danse double checked that the door was secure and glanced out the one small window. The door was a blast door and the glass in the window was bullet proof, but that didn't mean they were 100% secure. If the raiders were to manage to break in, he could hold them off while his visitors escaped through the emergency tunnel.

He had been alarmed when he saw the flare. He and Nora had worked out a code with a few of the Minutemen flares she kept on her, and she had altered and marked them. One color meant pinned down. Another meant injured. The one she had sent up meant she was coming in under fire. He was supposed to, by their agreement, just get the turrets ready to fire and open up the door for them, but when he heard the gunfire, he couldn't stay and wait. He owed her his life. She had saved him and those who served under him countless times, starting with the second she had walked up on them in Cambridge being overrun by feral ghouls. And later, when she had been sent to kill him, she not only spared him but stood up to Elder Maxson for him. Because of her, Arthur had promised to leave him alone, provided he had no further contact with the Brotherhood.

He didn't hold it against Arthur. He really didn't. After all, he had been the same way himself. He had abhorred technology taken too far. He despised scientists' knowledge outstretching their understanding.

And here, all the time, he had been that which he had hated. It was hard to come to terms with. Even harder to come to terms with was the fact that he had been branded a traitor, although he'd never done anything to betray his brothers and sisters. He had even felt anger when he saw that Nora was with a Railroad agent. Then he remembered that Railroad agents were saving others like him...not what he thought he was, but what he was.

"Paladin Danse."

"I've been stripped of that rank, Paladin. As you well know. I'm placing you in danger just talking to you. If Elder Maxson finds out..."

Nora smiled grimly.

"Elder Maxson can go to hell. I'm sorry, Danse. I know you had a lot of respect for him. But I've come to realize he's dangerously unstable." She walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Besides. You saved our asses. What am I going to do, report you?"

Danse gave a bitter chuckle.

"How is your friend? Deacon, was it?"

"Very, very grumpy. Keeps insisting he's OK, and won't let me so much as give him a stimpak."

"Wait until he's sleeping?"

"I'm afraid to let him go to sleep." she admitted. "In fact, I should get back to him. I just wanted to come out and thank you for coming to help us."

"It's nothing you haven't done for me." Danse replied. "Go on. I'll come check on you in a bit. Maybe I can intimidate him into accepting the stimpak."

Nora laughed in spite of her concern, and it was good to hear. She'd gone through so much it was wonderful she even remembered how to laugh.

"He doesn't really intimidate easily, but I suppose it would be worth a shot."

She turned around to head back to the inner rooms.

"Nora?"

She stopped but didn't turn around. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For...?"

"For still believing in me."


	7. Chapter 7

Deacon hated to admit it, but he was relieved when Nora left the room. His chest and ribs were hurting like a bitch, and he felt like he was trying to breathe under water. It was taking a lot of energy to mask all that, and he was pretty sure he wasn't succeeding but he was determined to keep it up for the time being anyway. Nora was worried, though. He could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him. Even if she was smiling, it was there. Fear. Fear of losing him.

That was something that was going to take some getting used to; having someone actually concerned about him. Most people, including other Railroad agents, only tolerated him. Hell, the only reason he'd been asked to join them was because of the extreme revenge he had taken on those who had murdered his wife. But Nora? She put up with his bullshit and didn't seem to take any of it seriously. She'd had many chances to ditch him or leave him to fend for himself on the runs she'd done with him. She could have let that raider kill him today. She could have just left him there since he was clearly slowing down their escape. Hell, she could have killed him herself and told Des whatever she wanted to. No one would ever know any different.

She did none of that, though. She stayed right with him, and he had no doubt that if Paladin Danse hadn't shown up, she would have thrown him over her shoulder in a fireman carry, probably either hurting herself or worse because she refused to leave him. The woman was just that stubborn. She reminded him of Barbara. His Barbara. Every time he thought he felt a spark of attraction for Nora, he forced it back. He couldn't go through that again. The physical pain he was in right now, he could deal with. But that? No. He couldn't risk that. Not for himself, not for her. It was too much.

"I'm sorry, Barbara."

"It wasn't your fault, Deacon."

Deacon blinked and looked around the room. No one was there. Great. He was getting delirious. That's ALL anyone needed right now was for him to lose his damned mind.

"Tell me you understand that."

"No one is there. Get hold of yourself, man." he told himself.

"Deacon, I will always be a part of you. I'm always in your heart. But you're still alive. I'm not. I need you to fight. It's not time for you to join me yet."

"Oh, God. Barbara."

There she was, standing in front of him. Perfect, whole, just like she had been. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, but she was still there.

"I didn't know, Barbara. I didn't know. I should have protected you. I should have...should have..."

"You need to let them help you. It's not your time, Deacon. You still have a lot to do."

He buried his head in his hands. No, this had to stop. It had to stop.

"Deacon..."


	8. Chapter 8

Nora returned to the room she'd left Deacon in, only to find him mumbling to himself, head in his hands as he sat on the side of the bed.

"Deacon?" She walked over to him and squatted down in front of him, pulling his hands down into hers. Shocked at how cold they felt, she reached up and put a hand on the back of his neck. He was getting feverish, which was understandable as she was sure inflammation was already setting in from the blow to the chest he took. His fingers were cold, though. That, when considered together with his his labored breathing, made her suspect that he wasn't getting enough oxygen circulating. "Hey, tiger. How about you lay down for me?"

"...sorry...I'm sorry. I didn't know. Sh...should have protected you."

"You've done a fine job," she said as she stood, although she had a suspicion that he wasn't talking to her. "Now come on, lay back for me. It's my turn to take care of you for a bit."

It was something of a struggle, but she finally got him to lay down. Then, she ran to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth and poured some of her purified water onto it. When she got back to him, he had closed his eyes, and her heart stopped briefly until she saw his chest move as he took a breath. She sat on the bedside and touched the damp cloth to his face.

"Nnnhh." he murmured as he grabbed her hand with a speed that shocked her. "C...cold."

"Sorry, big guy."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. He seemed a bit dazed, but there was recognition in his eyes.

"There you are." she said, forcing what she hoped was a comforting smile. "Welcome back. Did you have a nice nap?"

Deacon lifted his head a little and looked around him, then let his head flop back on the bed.

"Hey boss. We still alive?"

"So far. Danse is keeping an eye out for us. Now, are you going to let me check you over, or are you still being stubborn?"

"You should have just left me, Nora."

"Stop."

"Now you're trapped here, and I suspect that we're putting Danse in more danger, just by being here. You still run missions for the Brotherhood on occasion. If they find out..."

"I. Said. Stop. When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that regardless of what you might think you deserve, I am not going to abandon you? I've had enough of you trying to get me to ditch you for my own good."

"Nora. Honestly, I'm not worth..."

"Stop it!" Nora stood and started pacing angrily. "Everyone I ever loved died 200 years ago. Well, it's 200 years ago to you, and to just about everyone else. To me? It's like I went to sleep yesterday and woke up today to find that they were all dead. And you. You keep telling me to trust no one. And maybe it is because I expect nothing but bullshit and lies from you, but I trust you. Don't you get it? I. Trust. You. I can count on one hand the number of people I've met since being thawed out that I can trust. And you dare to repeatedly tell me you're not worth it? It's like a slap in the face." She stopped pacing and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before she continued. When she did speak again, she was annoyed by the quiver in her voice. "I don't have anyone anymore. Not even my own son. D, I found my son only to find out he's a 60 year old man with an even bigger ego than yours. He was a monster with a God complex. I killed my own son, Deacon. The person I gave life to, the one I was supposed to protect, and I killed him. I murdered him in cold blood because it was the right fucking thing to do considering what he became. You, Danse, Valentine, Garvey? You're all I've got. You're all I've got because I failed my husband and my son. So you, god-damned it, for once in your life, are going to let someone take care of you. I will take care of you until you're strong enough to walk out of here on your own. After that, do whatever the hell you want because I'm tired of trying to convince you that I have your back. But for right now, I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and watch you die if I can do something about it. Do we understand each other?"

Deacon just looked at her, too in shock by her outburst to respond. She didn't think she'd ever seen him surprised speechless before. Then, she heard Danse clear his throat from the doorway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, can I have a word with you, Nora?"

She said nothing further to Deacon, but she knew he was staring after her as she walked out.

"What's up?" she asked, once she felt they were far enough away from the inner rooms.

"I heard one of the turrets go off, and it looks like your raider friends have found us."

Nora snorted. "Took them long enough. How many?"

"I can't be sure, but at least 5 or 6."

Nora nodded. "We took out two of them. They seem to take their time tracking. First one was a scout; she's the one who got Deacon with a power fist. She had a Stealth Boy is about the only thing I can figure for the reason she was able to attack without either of us noticing. The second one Deacon took out just before you showed up."

"Slow with tracking means they're confident. That could work in our favor. Perhaps they've underestimated us. We're pretty secure in here for the time being. That door was meant to withstand nuclear blast. We could be trapped here a while, though. What's his condition?"

"Besides being a stubborn asshole? Sorry," she added quickly as Danse smirked. "I don't know how much of our conversation you heard. He's still having trouble breathing. That could be because he took a power fist to the sternum and his chest hurts like a bitch right now because of bruising, or...worst case scenario..."

"Crushed bones and punctured lung." Danse finished for her. "Damn. If we could get him aboard the Prydwyn..."

"Absolutely not. They'll kill him if they find out he's Railroad. And you know they'll kill you on sight."

"If it's a punctured lung, he's going to die if he stays here anyway, Nora."

"I know, I know. I just...I don't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"Why don't you take a break. Go into my stock room, have some water, have something to eat. I'll go talk to him."

"OK. OK." She grabbed Danse in a tight hug and he stood there, shocked for a moment, but finally relaxed enough to put his arms around her and hug her back. He then kissed the top of her head and released her.

"Go on, now." he said. "Take a breather. I'll sit with him."


	9. Chapter 9

Deacon didn't even bother to open his eyes when the door opened. If Nora was pissed, so be it. It would be easier for her to leave if she was pissed off at him. As footsteps came closer to the bed, however, he realized that they were a heavier step than Nora's.

"She send you in here to babysit me?" he asked, still without opening his eyes.

"No," Danse said. "I'm giving her a break. And you, whether you like it or not, should not be left alone right now."

"Couple of cracked ribs. It's nothing." He almost said, it's just a flesh would, but figured the ancient British humor would be lost on Captain America here. Well, he supposed it would be Captain Commonwealth, since America as a whole, unified entity hadn't existed since the Great War.

When Danse said nothing, Deacon opened one eye and looked at him. The man...or synth, as Deacon suspected...had pulled a chair over and was now sitting in it, leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him, elbows resting on his knees.

"Yeah, I know I'm being an ass." he said finally. "I'm guessing you heard some of our...discussion."

"I heard enough." Danse replied. "Whatever is going on between the two of you is none of my business, but I can tell you, Nora is not an ordinary person."

"You're right. On both counts, actually."

"I don't know why you joined the Railroad," Danse continued as if he hadn't spoken, "whether you were following an ideal, or if it was just a means to an end or something to pass the time. But I'll tell you why I joined the Brotherhood. I believed their rhetoric. I honestly believed they were trying to make things better. For the most part, I think most of them believe that too. Most Brotherhood soldiers are just good people trying to help. But, as with everything, ideals can be corrupted."

"Is this going to turn into a sermon?"''

"My point is, fear can make us do stupid things, make stupid decisions. People tend to hate what they're afraid of. I hated synths and supermutants. Then, I found out I was a synth."

Now Deacon opened both eyes. So his suspicions were correct.

"She really didn't tell you, did she?"

Deacon shook his head, immediately regretting it as he became dizzy.

"No. You heard her, man. Not her story to tell. For the record, it isn't mine either, so your secret is safe with me."

"Well, it's not exactly a secret, at least to the Brotherhood . Maxson has let them believe that Nora carried out her orders. Scribe Haylen is one of a handful of people who know I'm still alive. She took a big chance talking to Nora. When Haylen found out that Nora had been given orders from Elder Maxson to kill me, she tracked her down and confronted her, asked her to hear me out. As for me, I was prepared to let Nora execute me. She had her orders. As a soldier, I understand that. And I knew that I was the enemy. I was my own enemy. Finding out I wasn't who I thought I was...that was rough. I was taken aback when Nora not only refused to execute me, but when it turned out Maxson had followed her, she stood up for me. I wasn't used to that. I honestly don't know if I would have done the same thing if I was in her shoes and had discovered that she was a synth. That fact shames me."

Danse paused to give Deacon and chance to respond. When he didn't, Danse leaned forward and squeezed his hand, an act that so surprised Deacon he froze.

"Long story short, son...don't let fear lead you to hate. I have a strong suspicion that you are afraid of yourself. Don't start hating yourself."

A bit late for that advice, Deacon thought.

"Trust me, I know a little about that." Danse continued. "Don't go down that road. There is already too much hate in the world. Believe me, if Nora sees something in you worth sticking around for, you're worth sticking around for. Her high esteem isn't given easily."

Deacon closed his eyes again and sighed. Man, he was really getting a headache on top of everything else that already hurt. He felt a tear forming and was glad that he'd grabbed his sunglasses after Nora stormed out. He couldn't even remember her taking them off if him, and that was not a good sign. Thankfully she knew him well enough to leave them where he could easily find them.

How had he let himself get this involved with people? Having people who cared about him, it sucked. It really sucked because he had a helluva lot of baggage, and face it, he was not a nice person because of it. Or maybe he was never a nice person to begin with. At any rate, it all boiled down to sucking really hard.

To make matters worse, he didn't know how well Danse kept this bunker stocked. He was clearly trying to stay under the Brotherhood's radar, but if they were trapped for any length of time, having two additional people here could really deplete the synth's supplies. The Institute would no longer be a problem for him, but Deacon did not want to put Danse in any danger from the Brotherhood.

Danse seemed to have decided he'd said enough, so Deacon refocused on his breathing. It was getting harder to breathe, but as long as he kept it shallow it wasn't too painful, and he could count his breaths to take his mind off of...well, just about everything right now. It gradually started working and soon he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Maybe for Nora's sake he wouldn't wake up again, and she could stop risking her life for him.


	10. Chapter 10

Nora wanted to punch something. Well, to be honest, she wanted to punch Deacon, but she had a thing against kicking... or punching... people when they were down.

Instead, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths. She needed to calm her nerves, still her mind. She pulled on every technique she knew for self-soothing, everything she had ever used in her previous life.

She actually laughed to herself when that came to mind. Her previous life. Thinking now about how nervous she'd been taking her bar exam, or starting her first day at a new law firm, or even later when she was offered junior partner... It all seemed laughable. Could she even claim to be the same person any more?

She'd only been out of the vault for maybe a year. The things she'd seen... the things she'd done... the Nora from 200 years ago would have been horrified at what she'd become. She'd found a few good people... she even had a lot of respect for that jerk Rhys... but it was so hard to trust people. This world she'd woken up in...it was terrifying on so many levels.

Sudden gunfire grabbed her attention, and she realized one of the machine gun turrets had locked onto a target. She glanced out the window but saw nothing, although she was able to gauge the direction the turrets were attacking.

"We know you're in there, girl. You'll need to come out at some point. And believe me, I got nothing but time."

An explosion caused her to step back from the door, and she knew that could mean only one thing.

"Fuck."

Danse came running out as he heard her cursing.

"They took one of your turrets out." She explained. "They haven't tried the door yet, but if they hack that terminal..."

"I shut down that terminal from inside, so they won't be able to do that. They'll have to break the door down."

Well, that was one positive, but not exactly one that made her want to jump for joy. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few hours. Today was turning into a very long day, and she was sure it was going to be an even longer night


	11. Chapter 11

When Nora returned to Deacon, he was sound asleep. As anxious as she was about letting him sleep with his injuries, especially not knowing if he had internal bleeding, she opted to let him sleep a while longer. She'd give him at least an hour before trying to wake him up and get him coherent. That is, as long as the blast door held.

She did lean forward in her chair and take his pulse, frowning at how rapid and faint it was. If he had a punctured or otherwise collapsed lung, fluid and air could be gathering in the space his lung was no longer filling, which in turn would deflate it even further in addition to putting pressure on his heart. Damn it, she had just enough medical knowledge to scare herself, but not enough to be confident or truly useful. She was a lawyer, after all, not a medical practitioner.

"Thanks, Nate," she murmured under her breath. As tension had risen in the world and the threat of nuclear destruction loomed over them, he had insisted that she take a course in survival medicine. It was training he'd had as a soldier, and he wanted her to have that knowledge in case he was deployed. Or dead...that was the part that they never verbalized. If only he had been the one to survive instead of her.

But he wasn't. She was. She liked to think he'd be proud of her, the way she was adjusting to the world after their world ended. She hoped he would be, anyway.

"I'm doing the best I can."

"Of course. That's all anyone can ask of us, is our best."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Danse. I didn't realize I'd spoken aloud."

"It's OK, soldier. How are we holding up back here?"

Nora shrugged. "Hard to tell." She said quietly. "I thought maybe if we let him rest a little. How's the front?"

"Door still holding. It's actually been pretty quiet. They threw a couple more frag grenades against the door after you came back here, but I guess they wised up and are thinking of another plan that won't waste their resources."

"Great. Patient and tactically conservative. That just means that the next thing they launch will be huge."

Deacon suddenly rolled to his side. Apparently his lungs didn't like the new position because almost immediately he pushed himself upright, gasping for air. Nora moved to him quickly.

"It's all right, honey. You're all right. C'mon, Deacon, stay with me."

"Can't...c...can't breathe."

She removed his jacket and tossed it on her chair. Then she grabbed a stethoscope from the medical kit and took a careful listen to several spots on his back, then his chest. Just as she feared, the sounds that would normally be there as his lungs filled were nearly absent on the left side. His right lung was taking up the slack, but if they didn't do something soon, it could follow.

Deacon slumped in to her and she grabbed him to keep him from falling forward. Simultaneously an orange flight suit caught her eye, and she pulled her own .44 snubnose from her rear holster and aimed it with one hand.

"Whoa, Paladin. Don't shoot! It's just me!"

"Rhys? When the fuck did you get here? HOW the fuck did you get here?"

"I brought him." Scribe Haylen announced as she stepped out from behind Knight Rhys. "We came in through the back tunnel."

"There is a radio frequency that is no longer used by the Brotherhood. I set up a distress pulser to that frequency, and that's how I've been communicating with Haylen and Rhys." Danse explained. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I set it going when I first realized we were trapped here and he wouldn't be well enough to get out through the tunnel."

"So, are you, uh, going to put that weapon away, Paladin? I know you and I don't exactly get along, but Christ."

Nora held the gun ready for just another moment, just enough to make Rhys wonder, all the while keeping a protective arm around Deacon. Then, she put it away and returned her full attention to Deacon, hiding a smirk as she heard Rhys sigh in relief.


	12. Never Say Die

Deacon wasn't sure at this point what was going on. He had fallen asleep...a fitful sleep, but sleep, nonetheless...and suddenly he was struggling to get air. Then Nora pulled a gun on someone, and the protective mama bear arm she kept around him while aiming it was oddly comforting... and kind of hot, if he let himself admit it.

Apparently the new arrivals were people Nora knew, because she reholstered her gun and returned her attention to him.

"OK, hotshot. Let's get this shirt off of you. Can you lift your arms for me?"

He grumbled a little. He hated being helpless, and he hated being helpless in front of an audience even more.

"Deacon. Don't make me do the pre-war game of "skin the rabbit" that we used to do to get children to cooperate when changing clothes."

"You people were some sick bastards."

That was one of the newcomers... Nora had called him Rhys?...and Deacon chuckled because he was thinking the exact same thing.

Regardless, he lifted his arms above his head, and Christ did that hurt. But he managed it, dropping his arms again as soon as his t-shirt was clear of his head and arms.

Only then did Nora allow him to lay down again.

"We're going to take care of you, D. I promise."


	13. State Of My HeadAgain

"How can I help, Paladin?"

Scribe Haylen knelt by the bed at Nora's side and opened up her medic bag, then looked at Nora expectantly.

"Are you fully stocked?"

"Always, ma'am."

"Good. He needs a couple of stimpaks. I have plenty of those, but he's also gonna need some med-x. To start."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Is the doctor going to ask the patient how he feels?"

"Sorry babe. No doctor. You're stuck with me and Scribe Haylen. Besides, the patient isn't known for being forthcoming about how he feels."

"I don't want the med-x."

"You're going to need it, Deacon."

"I can handle pain. I'll be fine."

"Oh, for fuck's sake." She stood up and started pacing. "Ok, everyone. Could y'all give us a minute?" She added "Please," when they all just stared at her.

She must have had The Look when she spoke, because they all did as she asked and headed to the front rooms. Even Rhys left without some kind of smart ass comment

After they were gone, Nora pulled her chair closer to the bed and took one of Deacon's hands.

"Deacon..."

"You know how I feel about chems. So what gives with bringing on the heavy stuff, boss?"

"I want to make absolutely sure you understand how serious this is."

"Oh believe me," he said, rubbing his bruised sternum with his free hand. "I do."

"I don't think you do. Sweetie, we're about to do an emergency field surgery on you, in less than ideal conditions, and once Haylen and I start, you absolutely cannot move. It's one of those "a centimeter in either direction away from what we're aiming for is disaster." situations."

"You have a terrible bedside manner, you know that?"

"I'm not trying to scare you. I just... look, I know it's hard for you to let your guard down. But you trust me, right?"

"More than you could ever know."

"I'm glad. Babe, I don't know what hurt you so much that you've decided bullshitting your way through life is your only option, but I promise you, I am not going anywhere. I will be right here with you. I know you don't like not being in control of your mental faculties, but I am here and I am not going to let anything happen to you. You can let go just long enough for us to take care of this, and I promise you that when we're done, if you tell me no more drugs, then no more drugs. You can suffer to your heart's content. Will you trust me to do that for you?"

She sat with him for another moment or two in silence before she went and got the others. For a heavy moment she really thought he was going to just outright refuse her, but finally he nodded in agreement. Then Nora took a deep breath and went to get the others.

God she hoped she was making the right decision.


	14. When The Snake Bites

Danse and Rhys cleared off the intel room table to serve as their surgery table while Nora and Haylen pulled out all the supplies they might possibly need.

"Have you been taught how to do the emergency procedure for a pneumothorax?"

"In theory, yes. But I've been fortunate in that I've never had to do one."

"OK." she said. "We're going to be working on his left side. That's both good and bad. The good part is, it's generally the smaller of our lungs because it has to leave room for the heart, so at least it's the larger of the two lungs taking up slack. The bad news is..."

"That's where his heart is."

Nora nodded.

"This medical kit is primitive. Hell, it was primitive 200 years ago. Simple still works, though. When you open that kit, you'll find a large bore needle and catheter in there, still sealed."

"Did you just say large bore? don't like the sound of that."

"You'll be fine, Deacon." Nora replied as she looked around to see Rhys helping Deacon into the room. "And you are getting at least one stimpak and a med-x before we start, and another dose of each once we're finished, so you may not actually care that much in the moment."

Haylen spread a blanket over the table and motioned for Rhys to guide Deacon to it.

"Come on, pal." he said. "Hop up here and we'll let these ladies get to work."

"First off, I'm not your pal."

"Fair enough."

"Second, I don't hop anywhere."

"Fine. We'll do it the hard way."

With no more talk, Rhys picked Deacon up and put him on the table. Nora tried to suppress a smirk, because Rhys moved so quickly Deacon didn't even have time to yelp before he found himself firmly in the center of the table. She had to admit even she was surprised by the soldier's raw strength.

"That was DEFINITELY not in the script." Deacon grumped when he finally caught his breath enough to respond. He started to sit up, but Rhys stood there, arms crossed and glaring, looking like a bouncer hoping for a reason to fight, and Deacon relented.

"I'd stay if I were you." Rhys growled. "I'm a latecomer here so I don't give a rat's ass what the outcome is. But Nora seems to think you're worth the rescue effort. That means I'm helping her."

Scribe Haylen rolled her eyes.

"Children, please."

She nodded to Nora as she moved to Deacon's left side. "All right, Blue Eyes. I need you to do something for me."

Deacon smiled and seemed to relax as he looked at Scribe Haylen. "If you just stand there and smile just like that, doll face, I'll do anything you ask. I'm putty in your hands."

"Raise your left arm up and back under your head... give me your best supermodel pose."

"How did you guess my secret identi... SONOFABITCH. WHAT THE HELL, boss?"

Nora laughed as she high-fived Haylen, and the look Deacon gave Nora told her he knew he'd been had.

"I'm sorry, baby. But I knew I'd have to catch you while you were distracted. You're still being a stubborn ass."

"That comes natural, darlin'…I've never claimed to be anything else. Whoa, that stuff...wow, it works fast."

Nora rested her hand alongside his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"It does. I need you to relax as much as possible, OK? We really can't sedate you much, and I can't make it not hurt, but I promise we'll get it over with as quickly as possible. I'm going to keep talking to you, so just focus on my voice."

Deacon nodded to her, but then jumped as Haylen tore open an antimicrobial swab and started cleaning his side. His arm came down to his side quickly, and Rhys moved to the head of the table and pulled both of his arms up, holding them fast.

"Wait. Please wait...give me...give me a minute. Please..."

"Shhhh. It's all going to be over soon. I'm here. I'm right here. We need to work fast before the med-x starts to wear off. See, you didn't even feel the stimpak that Haylen gave you. Good stuff, right?"

Deacon said nothing, his only response to close his eyes and try to take a deep breath. Nora knew he was struggling to keep the panic at bay. She only hoped Rhys was strong enough to keep Deacon's arms immobile. Adrenaline could be a helluva thing, even in a drugged patient. Nora kept stroking his cheek and talking to him softly, but when he leaned his face into her hand, she could feel his pulse pounding where her fingers rested under his ear.

"Deacon, I'm here. I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Don't fight the chems." she urged. "You can let go, just for a little while."


	15. Chapter 15

Deacon was already fighting off panic when Nora had ninja'd the med-x into him, and that didn't exactly reinforce the trust he had in her.

He knew he was being a lousy patient. He had agreed to take the pain medication not so much for his comfort but for Nora's. She was trying to be encouraging but he could tell she was terrified.

Not that he wasn't terrified enough on his own. He wasn't lying about being able to handle physical pain. Pain was just that...pain. Whether he healed or died, it would eventually have an end. No, what terrified him was not being in complete control of his mental faculties. Even when he was in the midst of his "young and stupid" phase, he never liked being high. The world was a dark, ugly, dangerous place and he never wanted anything that would hinder his perception or reflexes.

Yet, here he was, shirtless, drugged, and being held down by a Brotherhood Knight while two women prepared to cut him open. He had kept most of the panic away, but hearing Nora explain to Haylen what she needed to do sent him back to the edge.

"...large bore needle and catheter" she was saying. Of COURSE he'd tune back in for that little gem. "You want to go in just above his third rib."

Nora was trying to reassure him that she wasn't going anywhere, and he was trying to focus on her. It worked for a brief moment, but suddenly his heart was pounding again. Nora was now pleading with him, but he was too far gone for that to help.

"Please, just a minute" he said again. Hearing the term "large bore needle" twice in the last few minutes was not exactly ideal, and he could tell that he was slurring his words, another reminder that he was chem'd up. "Give me just a minute."

"No can do, man," Rhys interjected as he adjusted his grip on Deacon's arms so that he essentially had a vice grip on both of Deacon's hands. "You heard the lady. We go ahead and just do this before that stuff wears off and we need to give you another dose. For now, I want you to squeeze my hands as tight as you need to. I don't care if you break my hands, but you take the pain out on me, not them. Besides, last time Haylen had to patch me up, she threatened to shoot me if I didn't stop squirming. Just fair warning."

Fine, Deacon thought. For some reason, the threat of violence, even in a joking manner, was what enabled him to flip the switch. Time to let the smartass out. If he had to do this, maybe at least he had the possibility of dying while making people laugh.

"Fine. Fine. But this is getting a little kinky, isn't it? I mean, we just met. You should at least buy me dinner, right?" Deacon quipped.

He heard Rhys suppress a snort before he replied. "I'll work on getting you dinner afterwards."

"There's the Deacon we all know and love " Nora said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. Then she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, a move that left him momentarily speechless.

"We'll get this over with quickly. I promise." Nora whispered in his ear before she straightened back up.


End file.
